28Opening and closing
Opening and closing
Vehicle key set
Introduction
Additional information and warnings:
● Adjustments to the SEAT information system ⇒ page 22
● Central locking and locking system ⇒ page 32
● Start and stop the engine ⇒ page 119
● Notes for the user ⇒ page 233
● Emergency locking and unlocking ⇒ page 244
WARNING
Swallowing batteries with a diameter of 20 mm or other types of lithium
battery may quickly result in serious injuries or even death.
● Always keep the vehicle keys and the key tab with the batteries,
spare batteries, flat batteries and other types of batteries larger than
20 mm out of the reach of children.
● Immediately seek medical assistance if you suspect the swallowing of
a battery.
WARNING
Careless or incorrect use of vehicle keys may result in severe injury and
accident.
● Always take all the keys with you whenever you leave the vehicle.
Children and unauthorised individuals could lock the doors or the rear
lid, start the engine or turn the ignition on activating electrical systems,
for example: the electric windows.
● Never leave children or disabled people alone in the car. They could
be trapped in the car in an emergency and will not be able to get them-
selves to safety. For example, depending on the time of the year, temper-
atures inside a locked and closed vehicle can be extremely high or ex-
tremely low resulting in serious injuries and illness or even death, partic-
ularly for young children.
● Never remove the key from the ignition if the vehicle is in motion. The
steering may lock and it will not be possible to turn the steering wheel.
172At the filling station
WARNING (Continued)
– If you are using a metal fuel canister, the nozzle must always touch
the canister while it is being filled to avoid static electricity.
– Follow the legal requirements for the use, storage and transport of
spare fuel canisters.
– Insure that the fuel container complies with manufacturing stand-
ards, for example, ANSI or ASTM F852-86.
CAUTION
● Always remove any fuel spilled anywhere on the vehicle to avoid dam-
age to the wheel housing, the tyre and vehicle paintwork.
● Refuelling a petrol engine with diesel can cause serious engine and fuel
system damage; the resulting malfunctions are not covered by the SEAT
warranty. If you refuel with the wrong type of fuel, never start the engine.
This applies to even the smallest amount of the wrong fuel. Seek specialist
assistance. With the engine running, the composition of the wrong fuel
could significantly damage the fuel system and the engine itself.
For the sake of the environment
Fuels can contaminate the environment. Collect any spilt service fluids and
allow a professional to dispose of them. Control lamps and fuel gauge
Fig. 108 On the instru-
ment panel: fuel gauge
for petrol
Fig. 109 On the instru-
ment panel: fuel gauge
for petrol and natural
gas.
The fuel gauge can vary depending on the vehicle equipment ⇒ Fig. 108
or ⇒ Fig. 109.
211
Vehicle care and maintenance
About your tyres and wheels
Fig. 123 Diagram for
changing wheels
The tyres of a vehicle are the components which are subjected to most
stress and are the most underestimated. Tyres are very important, as the
support offered by their narrow surface is the only point of contact between
the vehicle and the road.
The service life of tyres is dependent on tyre pressure, driving style, the care
they receive and the correct fitting.
The tyres and wheel rims are an essential part of the vehicle's design. The
tyres and rims approved by SEAT are specially matched to the characteris-
tics of the vehicle and our critical to good road holding and safe handling.
Avoiding damage to tyres and wheels
● If you have to drive over a kerb or similar obstacle, drive very slowly and
as near as possible at a right angle to the kerb.
● Inspect the tyres regularly for damage (punctures, cuts, cracks, dents).
● Remove any foreign bodies found on the outside of the tread provided
they have not passed through the wall of the tyre
⇒ page 216.
● The instructions for tyre control systems should always be observed. ●
Replace damaged or worn tyres as soon as possible ⇒ page 216.
● Regularly check tyres for non-visible damage ⇒ page 216.
● Never exceed the maximum permitted speed or loads specified for the
type of tyre fitted on your vehicle ⇒ page 218.
● Do not allow tyres (including the spare wheel) to come into contact with
aggressive substances, grease, oil, fuel or brake fluid ⇒
.
● Lost valve caps should be replaced immediately.
Tyres with directional tread pattern
Tyres with directional tread pattern have been designed to operate best
when rotating in only one direction. An arrow on the tyre sidewall indicates
the direction of rotation on tyres with directional tread ⇒ page 218. Always
observe the direction of rotation indicated when mounting the wheel. This
guarantees optimum grip and helps to avoid aquaplaning, excessive noise
and wear.
If the tyre is mounted in the opposite direction of rotation, drive with ex-
treme caution, as the tyre is no longer being used correctly. This is of partic-
ular importance when the road surface is wet. Change the tyre as soon as
possible or remount it with the correct direction of rotation.
Interchanging tyres
To ensure that the wear is equal on all tyres the wheels should be changed
round from time to time according to the system ⇒ Fig. 123. The useful life
of all the tyres will then be about the same time.
SEAT recommends you take the vehicle to a specialised workshop to have
the tyres changed.
Tyres that are over 6 years old
Tyres are subject to an ageing process as a result of physical and chemical
processes. This may affect their performance. Tyres which are stored for
long periods of time without being used, harden and become more fragile
than tyres which are in constant use.
SEAT recommends that tyres over six years old are replaced with new tyres.
This also applies to tyres (including the spare wheel) which appear to be in
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215
Vehicle care and maintenance
Checking tyre pressures
Check tyre pressures only when the vehicle has not been driven for more
than a few kilometres at low speeds in the past three hours.
● The tyre pressures should be checked regularly, and only when the tyres
are cold. Always check all tyres, including the spare wheel. Tyre pressures
should be checked more often in colder regions, and only when the vehicle
has not been driven recently. Always use a correctly-operating tyre gauge.
● Adjust tyre pressures to the loads carried in the vehicle.
● After adjusting the tyre pressure, check that the caps are properly
screwed.
The spare wheel or temporary spare wheel must be at the maximum pres-
sure specified.
WARNING
If tyre pressures are too high or too low, the tyre may deflate or burst
suddenly while driving. This could result in a serious accident.
● If the tyre pressure is too low, the tyres could overheat, resulting in
tread detachment or even burst tyres.
● When driving at high speeds and/or fully loaded, the tyre could sud-
denly overheat, burst or be subject to tread detachment, with the resul-
tant loss of control of the vehicle.
● Tyre pressures which are too high or too low reduce the service life of
the tyre, affecting the vehicle's performance.
● Tyre pressures should be checked regularly, at least once a month
and before long journeys.
● Adjust the pressures of all the tyres to the vehicle load.
● Never deflate excess pressure from hot tyres.
CAUTION
● Take care not to tilt the manometer when placing it on the valve. Other-
wise, the valve may be damaged.
● To avoid damage to the valves, always replace valve caps correctly.
Check that the caps are identical to the standard caps and have been cor-
rectly tightened.
For the sake of the environment
Under-inflated tyres will increase the fuel consumption.
Tread depth and wear indicators
Fig. 125 Tyre tread:
tread wear indicators
Tread depth
Certain driving conditions require a deeper tread, as well as needing the
tread to be approximately the same on the front and rear tyres. This is par-
ticularly important when driving in winter, in cold temperatures and on wet
roads ⇒
.
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Vehicle care and maintenance
Running gear settings : an incorrectly positioned running gear increases the
wear of tyres and affects your safety while driving. If tyres wear too quickly,
have the wheel alignment checked at a specialised workshop.
WARNING
If you notice unusual vibration or the car pulls to one side while driving,
this may indicate that one of the tyres is damaged.
● Reduce speed immediately and stop, while observing the highway
code.
● Check the wheels and tyres for damage.
● Never carry on driving on worn tyres or wheels. Request qualified as-
sistance immediately.
● If there is no visible exterior damage, drive slowly and carefully to the
nearest specialised workshop and have the vehicle checked.
Spare wheel or temporary spare wheel*
Fig. 126 In the luggage
compartment: hand con-
trolled wheel for securing
the spare wheel Removing the spare wheel
●
Open the rear lid and lift the luggage compartment shelf ⇒ page 98.
● If necessary, remove the luggage compartment variable floor ⇒ page 98.
● Lift up the carpet from the recess and remove it from the luggage com-
partment.
● If necessary, take out the vehicle tool kit with the container.
● Completely remove the hand controlled wheel from the centre of the
spare wheel ⇒ Fig. 126 by turning it in an anticlockwise direction, and take
out the spare wheel.
Storing the replaced wheel
● Pull back the carpet.
● With the wheel rim facing downwards, situate the replaced wheel in the
spare wheel well so that the wheel rim central hole coincides with the open-
ing.
● Turn the hand controlled wheel with the shank screwed clockwise until
the replaced wheel is secured.
● If necessary, store the vehicle tool in the container, inside the luggage
compartment.
● Replace the carpet on the luggage compartment floor.
● Lower the rear shelf.
● Close the rear lid.
If the spare wheel is different to the rest of the vehicle tyres
If the spare tyre is not the same as the tyres that are mounted on the vehicle
- for example with winter tyres or the temporary spare wheel - you should
only use the spare tyre for a short period of time and drive with extra care
⇒
.
Refit the normal road wheel as soon as possible.
Please observe driving advice:
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218Vehicle care and maintenance
● Do not drive faster than 80 km/h (50 mph).
● Avoid heavy acceleration, hard braking and fast cornering.
● Snow chains on the temporary spare wheel are not permitted
⇒ page 220.
● After mounting the spare wheel or the temporary spare wheel, check the
tyre pressure as soon as possible ⇒ page 214.
It is advisable to check the spare wheel or temporary spare wheel tyre pres-
sure when checking the rest of the vehicle wheels at least once a month.
The spare wheel should have the highest pressure allowed for the vehicle
⇒ page 214. The sticker situated on the temporary spare wheel shows the
tyre pressure.
WARNING
Incorrect handling of the spare wheel or the temporary spare wheel can
cause loss of vehicle control, producing collisions or other serious acci-
dents and injury.
● Never use the spare wheel or the temporary spare wheel if it is dam-
aged or worn to the wear indicator.
● In some vehicles the spare wheel is smaller than the original tyres.
This can be seen on a sticker showing the text “80 km/h” and “50 mph”.
This text indicates the maximum velocity permitted for this type of tyre.
● Never drive faster than 80 km/h (50 mph). Avoid powerful accelera-
tion, hard braking and taking corners at high speed.
● Never drive more than 200 km (120 miles) with a temporary spare
wheel fitted to the drive axle.
● Replace the temporary spare wheel for a normal wheel as soon as
possible. The compact temporary spare wheel is only intended for tempo-
rary use over short distances.
● The temporary spare wheel must always be secured with the factory
supplied wheel bolts.
WARNING (Continued)
● You should never use more than one temporary spare wheel.
● After mounting the temporary spare wheel, check the tyre pressure as
soon as possible ⇒ page 214.
● Snow chains on the temporary spare wheel are not permitted.
Note
Wherever possible, secure the spare wheel, temporary spare wheel or the
replaced wheel safely in the luggage compartment. In vehicles with anti-
puncture kit, it is not possible to secure the defective wheel.
Tyre code
Fig. 127 Universal code on tyres
221
Vehicle care and maintenance
Remove wheel hub covers and trim rings before fitting snow chains ⇒
.
The wheel bolts should be covered with caps for safety reasons. These are
available from Technical Services.
Temporary spare wheel
For technical reasons, snow chains must not be used on the compact tem-
porary spare wheel ⇒ page 217.
If it is necessary to fit chains with the temporary spare wheel in use, install
the temporary spare wheel on the rear axle in the event of a fault in a front
wheel. Then, fit the rear wheel that is free, instead of the damaged front
wheel. In this situation, observe the rotating direction of the wheels. SEAT
recommends attaching the snow chains before fitting the wheel.
WARNING
The use of unsuitable or incorrectly fitted chains could lead to serious ac-
cidents and damage.
● Always the appropriate snow chains.
● Observe the fitting instructions provided by the snow chain manufac-
turer.
● Never exceed the maximum permitted speeds when driving with snow
chains.
CAUTION
● Remove the snow chains to drive on roads without snow. Otherwise they
will impair handling, damage the tyres and wear out very quickly.
● Wheel rims may be damaged or scratched if the chains come into direct
contact with them. SEAT recommends the use of covered snow chains.
Note
Snow chains are available in different sizes according to the vehicle type.
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Accessories, replacements, repairs and
modifications
Introduction
Additional information and warnings:
● Seat belts ⇒ page 56
● Airbag system ⇒ page 65
● Roof carrier ⇒ page 104
● Ashtray and cigarette lighter ⇒ page 115
● Power socket ⇒ page 117
● Braking, stopping and parking ⇒ page 134
● Parking sensor system ⇒ page 149
● Cruise control system (CCS) ⇒ page 152
● Working in the engine compartment ⇒ page 180
● Engine oil ⇒ page 185
● Engine coolant ⇒ page 189
● Vehicle battery ⇒ page 193
● Caring for and cleaning the vehicle exterior ⇒ page 197
● Care and cleaning of the vehicle interior ⇒ page 205
● Notes for the user ⇒ page 233
● ⇒ Booklet Radio
● Instruction Manual for the Portable Navigation System (supplied by
SEAT) in the equipment.
WARNING
The use of spare parts and accessories, or incorrectly performed modifi-
cations or repairs may result in damage to the vehicle, accidents and se-
rious injury.
● SEAT strongly recommends you to only use SEAT approved accesso-
ries and SEAT ®
original spare parts. These parts and accessories have
been specially tested by SEAT for suitability, reliability and safety.
● Have any repairs or modifications carried out at a specialised work-
shop. Specialised workshops have the necessary tools, diagnostics
equipment, repair information and qualified personnel.
● Only mount parts with the same specifications as the parts fitted at
factory.
● Never mount, fasten or fit objects such as drink holders or telephone
cradles over the covers of the airbag modules or within their deployment
zones.
● Only use wheels and tyre combinations which have been approved by
SEAT for your vehicle type.